Brother of man killed in Mt. Greenwood police shooting held on $500K bail

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CHICAGO – The brother of an Indianapolis man who was shot and killed by police Saturday is accused of tackling an off-duty officer and putting him in a chokehold after he witnessed the shooting.

28-year-old Michael Beal and his brother Joshua Beal had just left a nearby cemetery when they were involved in a traffic dispute that began near a fire station in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood.

Police say as the dispute escalated, Joshua Beal pointed a gun at off-duty police officers who then shot and killed him. Michael Beal was charged with aggravated battery to a police officer and attempting to disarm a police officer for “scuffling” with one of the officers after the shooting, his attorney said.

"I don't think there is enough sympathy to go around for this family. They came from a funeral where they buried a young man, coming from that cemetery, in the blink of an eye this mother, this wife, these sisters, they lost a son, a husband, a brother; one dead and one in jail on a $500,000 bond, which to me is just outrageous," Beal's attorney Barry Spector said.

The Beal family was in court Tuesday, and Spector said they have questions about what led to the shooting. He also questioned charging his client for attacking the police officer because he was emotional after seeing his brother being shot. And even though the officers say they identified themselves, Spector said, it wasn’t overly clear the men who shot his brother were police officers.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said he can’t share specifics about the case because IPRA is investigating.

“As soon as we get information that we can put out, we will," Johnson said.